SCHOLARSHIPS

Give the gift of dance

Scholarship Heroes

These are the generous donors who make it possible to grant scholarships to students in need because they recognize that the arts shouldn’t only be accessible to an elite few. Thank you for helping The Vanaver Caravan realize its mission to create meaningful change and connection to people in every walk of life.

Betsey Bergman Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Betsey Bergman Memorial Scholarship Fund was founded in 2019 from the generous donations of Cheryl DeSilva, Beverly Burns, and Phyllis Hart (Board Member). Since its founding, The Vanaver Caravan has been able to provide both full and partial scholarships to dozens of students, creating access to the arts for students who need it most.

ABOUT BETSEY BERGMAN

Betsey was born in NYC in 1927, attended University of Wisconsin for her undergraduate degree in Physical Education, as well as New York  University receiving her Masters in Social Work.

Betsey worked for several agencies in NYC before moving to Dutchess County where she was one of the founding partners of Family Counseling of Poughkeepsie.  Betsey worked with Dutchess County BOCES until her retirement at 70.

Betsey also maintained a private practice for 35 plus years, only retiring when her health began to fail in her mid 80’s. Betsey’s early life in NYC saw her friends with Pete Seeger, and many of the early folk singers who made the rounds at bars and coffee houses in Greenwich Village as well as their many apartments. Her love of music, dance, theatre, Avant Garde culture stayed with her throughout her life.

In Betsey’s 60’s, her passion for Dance and Movement Therapy had her back to NYU and Lesley College for advanced studies in Clinical Mental Health Counseling for Dance Movement Therapy. After her retirement from BOCES  at 70 she began a new career as a Dance\Movement therapist with Special Needs clients at several agencies in Westchester County.

Betsey’s love of Dance kept her traveling weekends and vacations across the country to attend camps, and dances. She was a force to be reckoned with, when we her family attempted to get her to slow down when we knew her health was affecting her cognitive abilities. 

We know Betsey would like to provide the opportunity for young people to experience Dance and find the passion she had for it, in their lives.  Our hope is that this modest donation can provide tuition assistance to a promising student\s so they could discover the wonders of Dance and Music.

We believe Betsey would be Honored to have Vanaver Caravan as part of her Legacy.

— Cheryl DeSilva, Beverly Burns, Phyllis Hart

SCHOLARSHIP FUND DONORS

We gratefully thank the Max’s Kansas City Project for providing a full scholarship to SummerDance 2023.

Scholarships In Action

Scholarship Fund Application

While a small number of full scholarships are awarded, the majority of the awards are partial scholarships. Award determination is based primarily on financial need. The application below must be complete to be considered.